Vehicle control system, vehicle control method, and readable storage medium

ABSTRACT

A vehicle control system including a recognizer that is configured to recognize a surroundings status of a vehicle and a driving controller that is configured to control at least steering of the vehicle on the basis of the surroundings status recognized by the recognizer, and, in a case in which a obstacle present in an advancement direction of the vehicle and traffic participants present near the obstacle are recognized by the recognizer, and the vehicle is caused to avoid the obstacle, the driving controller is configured to control the vehicle on the basis of advancement directions of the traffic participants.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

Priority is claimed on Japanese Patent Application No. 2018-021336,filed Feb. 8, 2018, the content of which is incorporated herein byreference.

BACKGROUND Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a vehicle control system, a vehiclecontrol method, and a readable storage medium.

Description of Related Art

In recent years, automatic control of vehicles has been researched (forexample, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No.2016-143137 and Japanese Patent No. 5865981).

However, in conventional technology, control performed when an obstacleand a traffic participant are simultaneously present is not sufficientlytaken into account. For this reason, there are cases in which a vehiclecannot be appropriately controlled in accordance with trafficconditions.

An aspect of the present invention is in consideration of suchsituations, and one object thereof is to provide a vehicle controlsystem, a vehicle control method, and a readable storage medium capableof appropriately controlling a vehicle in accordance with trafficconditions.

SUMMARY

A vehicle control system, a vehicle control method, and a readablestorage medium according to the present invention employ the followingconfigurations.

(1): A vehicle control system according to one aspect of the presentinvention is a vehicle control system including: a recognizer that isconfigured to recognize a surroundings status of a vehicle; and adriving controller that is configured to control at least steering ofthe vehicle on the basis of the surroundings status recognized by therecognizer, wherein, in a case in which a target obstacle present in anadvancement direction of the vehicle and one or more trafficparticipants present near the target obstacle are recognized by therecognizer, and the vehicle is caused to avoid the target obstacle, thedriving controller is configured to control the vehicle on the basis ofadvancement directions of the one or more traffic participants.

(2): In the aspect (1) described above, in a case in which theadvancement directions of all the traffic participants among the one ormore traffic participants present near the target obstacle coincide witha reference direction according to an advancement direction of thevehicle, the driving controller is configured to perform control of thevehicle to avoid the target obstacle.

(3): In the aspect (2) described above, the driving controller isconfigured to cause the one or more traffic participants to follow thevehicle when the vehicle is caused to avoid the target obstacle.

(4): In the aspect (1) or (2) described above, in a case in which anadvancement direction of one or more traffic participants among the oneor more traffic participants present near the target obstacle recognizedby the recognizer does not coincide with a reference direction accordingto an advancement direction of the vehicle, the driving controller isconfigured to perform control of the vehicle such that it stops in frontof the target obstacle.

(5): In any one of the aspects (2) to (4) described above, the referencedirection is a direction having a relationship of being at an acuteangle to the advancement direction of the vehicle out of extendingdirections of a road.

(6): In any one of the aspects (1) to (4) described above, the one ormore traffic participants present near the target obstacle arepedestrians.

(7): In any one of the aspects (1) to (6) described above, the one ormore traffic participants present near the target obstacle are one ormore traffic participants present within a first predetermined distancefrom the target obstacle.

(8): In any one of the aspects (1) to (7) described above, in a case inwhich a distance between the vehicle and the target obstacle is within asecond predetermined distance, the one or more traffic participantspresent near the target obstacle are one or more traffic participantspresent within a first predetermined distance, which is shorter than thesecond predetermined distance, from the target obstacle.

(9): In any one of the aspects (1) to (8) described above, in a case inwhich a required time until the vehicle running along a first targetlocus deviating to one side of the road runs along a second target locusdisposed on a side of the center of the road from the first target locusfor avoiding the target obstacle and returns from the second targetlocus to the first target locus after the vehicle avoids the targetobstacle is assumed, the one or more traffic participants present nearthe target obstacle object are one or more traffic participants presentwithin a predetermined range having the target obstacle as its centerduring the required time.

(10): In any one of the aspects (1) to (9) described above, the targetobstacle is an object having an influence on a target locus of thevehicle in a case in which the vehicle runs.

(11): In any one of the aspects (1) to (10) described above, in a casein which a distance to the target obstacle becomes within a thirdpredetermined distance, the driving controller is configured to start aprocess of controlling the vehicle on the basis of the advancementdirections of the one or more traffic participants.

(12): In any one of the aspects (1) to (11) described above, the drivingcontroller controls the vehicle on the basis of the advancementdirections of the one or more traffic participants in the case ofpassing through a road of which a road width is less than apredetermined width.

(13) One aspect of a vehicle control method according to the presentinvention is a vehicle control method using a computer, the vehiclecontrol method including: recognizing a surroundings status of avehicle; controlling at least steering of the vehicle on the basis ofthe recognized surroundings status; and controlling the vehicle on thebasis of advancement directions of one or more traffic participants in acase in which a target obstacle present in an advancement direction ofthe vehicle and the one or more traffic participants present near thetarget obstacle are recognized through the recognition of thesurroundings status, and the vehicle is caused to avoid the targetobstacle.

(14) One aspect of a readable storage medium according to the presentinvention is a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium thatstores a computer program to be executed by a computer to perform atleast: recognize a surroundings status of a vehicle; control at leaststeering of the vehicle on the basis of the recognized surroundingsstatus; and control the vehicle on the basis of advancement directionsof one or more traffic participants in a case in which a target obstaclepresent in an advancement direction of the vehicle and the one or moretraffic participants present near the target obstacle are recognizedthrough the recognition of the surroundings status, and the vehicle iscaused to avoid the target obstacle.

According to the aspects (1), (6), (10), (12) to (14) described above, avehicle can be appropriately controlled in accordance with trafficconditions.

According to the aspects (2) to (5) described above, even in a case inwhich an oncoming vehicle, an obstacle, and a traffic participant arepresent, the obstacle can be smoothly passed by without interruptingother traffic.

According to the aspects (7) to (9) described above, furthermore,traffic participants having an influence on running of a vehicle can beappropriately selected as traffic participants that are processingtargets. As a result, useless processing is inhibited, and a processingload can be reduced.

According to the aspect (11) described above, furthermore, even in acase in which an obstacle is recognized, when there is a predeterminedtime until a transition to an operation of avoiding the obstacle, theprocessing is not started, and accordingly, useless processing isinhibited, and the processing load can be reduced.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a vehicle system using a vehiclecontrol device according to an embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a functional configuration diagram of a first controller and asecond controller;

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a process (1) based on an advancementdirection of traffic participants;

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a reference direction according to anadvancement direction of a subject vehicle;

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a process in which coincidence between areference direction and an advancement direction of a pedestrian isdetermined;

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a process (2-1) based on an advancementdirection of traffic participants;

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a process (2-2) based on advancementdirections of traffic participants;

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a process (2-3) based on advancementdirections of traffic participants;

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a pedestrian (1) present near an obstacle;

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a pedestrian (2) present near an obstacle;

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing positions of a pedestrian in a requiredtime;

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing one example of the flow of a processexecuted by an automated driving control device;

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing another example 1;

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing another example 2;

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing one example of the hardware configurationof an automated driving control device according to an embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Hereinafter, a vehicle control device, a vehicle control method, and areadable storage medium according to embodiments of the presentinvention will be described with reference to the drawings. Hereinafter,although a case in which a rule of left traffic is applied will bedescribed, the left side and the right side may be interchanged in acase in which a rule of right traffic is applied.

[Entire Configuration]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a vehicle system 1 using a vehiclecontrol device according to an embodiment. A vehicle in which thevehicle system 1 is mounted is, for example, a vehicle having twowheels, three wheels, four wheels, or the like, and a driving sourcethereof is an internal combustion engine such as a diesel engine or agasoline engine, an electric motor, or a combination thereof. Theelectric motor operates using power generated using a power generatorconnected to an internal combustion engine or discharge power of asecondary cell or a fuel cell.

The vehicle system 1, for example, includes a camera 10, a radar device12, a finder 14, an object recognizing device 16, a communication device20, a human machine interface (HMI) 30, a vehicle sensor 40, anavigation device 50, a map positioning unit (MPU) 60, a drivingoperator 80, an automated driving control device 100, a running drivingforce output device 200, a brake device 210, and a steering device 220.Such devices and units are interconnected using a multiplexcommunication line such as a controller area network (CAN) communicationline, a serial communication line, a radio communication network, or thelike. The configuration shown in FIG. 1 is merely one example, and thus,a part of the configuration may be omitted, and, furthermore, othercomponents may be added thereto.

The camera 10, for example, is a digital camera using a solid-stateimaging device such as a charge coupled device (CCD) or a complementarymetal oxide semiconductor (CMOS). The camera 10 is installed atarbitrary places on a vehicle (hereinafter, referred to as a subjectvehicle M) in which the vehicle system 1 is mounted. In a case in whichthe side in front is to be imaged, the camera 10 is installed at anupper part of a front windshield, a rear face of a rear-view mirror, orthe like. The camera 10, for example, repeatedly images the vicinity ofthe subject vehicle M periodically. The camera 10 may be a stereocamera.

The radar device 12 emits radiowaves such as millimeter waves to thevicinity of the subject vehicle M and detects at least a position of (adistance and an azimuth to) an object by detecting radiowaves (reflectedwaves) reflected by the object. The radar device 12 is installed atarbitrary places on the subject vehicle M. The radar device 12 maydetect a position and a speed of an object using a frequency modulatedcontinuous wave (FM-CW) system.

The finder 14 is a light detection and ranging (LIDAR). The finder 14emits light to the vicinity of the subject vehicle M and measuresscattering light generated in accordance with the emitted light. Thefinder 14 detects a distance to a target on the basis of a time fromlight emission to light reception. The emitted light, for example, is apulse-form laser light. The finder 14 is mounted at an arbitraryposition on the subject vehicle M.

The object recognizing device 16 may perform a sensor fusion process onresults of detection using some or all of the camera 10, the radardevice 12, and the finder 14, thereby allowing recognition of aposition, a type, a speed, and the like of an object. The objectrecognizing device 16 outputs a result of recognition to the automateddriving control device 100. The object recognizing device 16 may outputresults of detection using the camera 10, the radar device 12, and thefinder 14 to the automated driving control device 100 as they are. Theobject recognizing device 16 may be omitted from the vehicle system 1.

The communication device 20, for example, communicates with othervehicles in the vicinity of the subject vehicle M using a cellularnetwork, a Wi-Fi network, Bluetooth (registered trademark), dedicatedshort range communication (DSRC), or the like or communicates withvarious server apparatuses through a radio base station.

The HMI 30 presents various types of information to an occupant of thesubject vehicle M and receives an input operation performed by a vehicleoccupant. The HMI 30 may include various display devices, a speaker, abuzzer, a touch panel, switches, keys, and the like.

The vehicle sensor 40 includes a vehicle speed sensor that detects aspeed of the subject vehicle M, an acceleration sensor that detects anacceleration, a yaw rate sensor that detects an angular velocity arounda vertical axis, an azimuth sensor that detects the azimuth of thesubject vehicle M, and the like.

The navigation device 50, for example, includes a global navigationsatellite system (GNSS) receiver 51, a navigation HMI 52, and a routedeterminer 53. The navigation device 50 stores first map information 54in a storage device such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a flash memory.The GNSS receiver 51 identifies a position of a subject vehicle M on thebasis of signals received from GNSS satellites. The position of thesubject vehicle M may be identified or supplemented by an inertialnavigation system (INS) using an output of the vehicle sensor 40.

The navigation HMI 52 includes a display device, a speaker, a touchpanel, a key, and the like. A part or all of the navigation HMI 52 andthe HMI 30 described above may be configured to be shared. The routedeterminer 53, for example, determines a route from a position of thesubject vehicle M identified by the GNSS receiver 51 (or an inputarbitrary position) to a destination input by a vehicle occupant usingthe navigation HMI 52 (hereinafter referred to as a route on a map) byreferring to the first map information 54. The first map information 54,for example, is information in which a road form is represented byrespective links representing a road and respective nodes connectedusing the links. The first map information 54 may include a curvature ofeach road, point of interest (POI) information, and the like. The routeon the map is output to the MPU 60. The navigation device 50 may performroute guidance using the navigation HMI 52 on the basis of the route onthe map. Furthermore, the navigation device 50, for example, may beimplemented by a function of a terminal device such as a smartphone or atablet terminal held by a vehicle occupant. The navigation device 50 maytransmit a current location and a destination to a navigation serverthrough the communication device 20 and acquire a route that isequivalent to the route on the map from the navigation server.

The MPU 60, for example, includes a recommended lane determiner 61 andstores second map information 62 in a storage device such as an HDD or aflash memory. The recommended lane determiner 61 divides a route on themap provided from the navigation device 50 into a plurality of blocks(for example, divides the route for every 100 [m] in the advancementdirection of the vehicle) and determines a recommended lane for eachblock by referring to the second map information 62. The recommendedlane determiner 61 determines on which of lanes numbered from the leftside to run. In a case in which a branching place is present in theroute on the map, the recommended lane determiner 61 determines arecommended lane such that the subject vehicle M can run on a reasonableroute for advancement to a branching destination.

The second map information 62 is map information having an accuracyhigher than that of the first map information 54. The second mapinformation 62, for example, includes information of the center ofrespective lanes, information on boundaries between lanes, or the like.In addition, in the second map information 62, road information, trafficregulations information, address information (address and zip code),facilities information, telephone number information, and the like maybe included. As the communication device 20 communicates with anotherdevice, the second map information 62 may be updated as needed.

The driving operator 80, for example, includes an acceleration pedal, abrake pedal, a shift lever, a steering wheel, a steering wheel variant,a joystick, and other operators. A sensor detecting the amount of anoperation or the presence/absence of an operation is installed in thedriving operator 80, and a result of the detection is output to theautomated driving control device 100 or some or all of the runningdriving force output device 200, the brake device 210, and the steeringdevice 220.

The automated driving control device 100, for example, includes a firstcontroller 120, and a second controller 160. Each of the firstcontroller 120 and second controller 160, for example, is implemented bya hardware processor such as a central processing unit (CPU) executing aprogram (software). In addition, some or all of such constituentelements may be implemented by hardware (a circuit; including circuitry)such as a large scale integration (LSI), an application specificintegrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or agraphics processing unit (GPU) or may be implemented by cooperationbetween software and hardware. The program may be stored in a storagedevice such as an HDD or a flash memory of the automated driving controldevice 100 in advance or may be stored in a storage medium(non-transitory storage medium) such as a DVD or a CD-ROM that can beloaded or unloaded and installed in the HDD or the flash memory of theautomated driving control device 100 by loading the storage medium intoa drive device.

FIG. 2 is a functional configuration diagram of the first controller 120and the second controller 160. The first controller 120, for example,includes a recognizer 130 and an action plan generator 140. Acombination of the action plan generator 140 and the second controller160 is one example of a “driving controller.” The first controller 120,for example, simultaneously implements functions using artificialintelligence (AI) and functions using a model provided in advance. Forexample, a function of “recognizing an intersection” may be implementedby executing recognition of an intersection using deep learning or thelike and recognition based on conditions given in advance (a signal,road markings, and the like that can be used for pattern matching arepresent) at the same time, assigning scores to processing results ofboth recognition processes, and comprehensively evaluating theprocessing results to which the scores have been assigned. Accordingly,the reliability of automated driving is secured.

The recognizer 130 recognizes states such as a position, a speed, anacceleration, and the like of each object present in the vicinity of thesubject vehicle M on the basis of information input from the camera 10,the radar device 12, and the finder 14 through the object recognizingdevice 16. The position of an object, for example, is recognized as aposition on an absolute coordinate system having a representative point(the center of gravity, the center of a driving shaft, or the like) ofthe subject vehicle M as its origin and is used for control. Theposition of an object may be represented as a representative point suchas the center of gravity or a corner of an object or may be representedas a representative area. A “state” of an object may include anacceleration, a jerk, or an “action state” (for example, whether or notthe object is changing lanes or will change lanes) of an object.

The recognizer 130, for example, recognizes a lane (running lane) inwhich the subject vehicle M is running. For example, the recognizer 130may recognize a running lane by comparing a pattern of road partitionlines acquired from the second map information 62 (for example, an arrayof solid lines and broken lines) with a pattern of road partition linesin the vicinity of the subject vehicle M that has been recognized froman image captured by the camera 10. The recognizer 130 is not limited torecognizing road partition lines and may recognize a running lane byrecognizing running lane boundaries (road boundaries) including a roadpartition line, a road shoulder, curbstones, a median strip, aguardrail, and the like. In the recognition, the position of the subjectvehicle M acquired from the navigation device 50 or a result of theprocess executed by an INS may be additionally taken into account. Inaddition, the recognizer 130 may recognize a temporary stop line, anobstacle, a red light, a tollgate, and other road events.

When a running lane is recognized, the recognizer 130 recognizes aposition and a posture of the subject vehicle M with respect to therunning lane. The recognizer 130, for example, may recognize a deviationof a reference point on the subject vehicle M from the center of thelane and an angle of the advancement direction of the subject vehicle Mformed with respect to a line along the center of the lane as a relativeposition and a posture of the subject vehicle M with respect to therunning lane. Instead of this, the recognizer 130 may recognize aposition of a reference point on the subject vehicle M with respect to aone side end part (a road partition line or a road boundary) of therunning lane or the like as a relative position of the subject vehicle Mwith respect to the running lane.

The action plan generator 140 basically runs on a recommended lanedetermined by the recommended lane determiner 61 and generates a targetlocus along which the subject vehicle M will run automatically(independently of responding to a driver's operation) in the future suchthat a surroundings status of the subject vehicle M can be responded to.The target locus, for example, includes a speed element. For example,the target locus is represented by sequentially aligning places (locuspoints) at which the subject vehicle M is to arrive. A locus point is aplace at which the subject vehicle M will arrive at respectivepredetermined running distances (for example, about every several [m])as distances along the road, and separately, a target speed and a targetacceleration for each of predetermined sampling times (for example, afraction of a [sec]) are generated as a part of the target locus. Alocus point may be a position at which the subject vehicle M will arriveat a sampling time for each of predetermined sampling times. In such acase, information of a target speed or a target acceleration isrepresented using intervals between the locus points.

The action plan generator 140 may set an event of automated driving whena target locus is generated. As events of automated driving, there are aconstant-speed running event, a low-speed following running event, alane change event, a branching event, a merging event, an overtakingevent, and the like. The action plan generator 140 generates a targetlocus according to an operating event.

The second controller 160 performs control of the running driving forceoutput device 200, the brake device 210, and the steering device 220such that the subject vehicle M passes along a target locus generated bythe action plan generator 140 at a scheduled time.

The second controller 160, for example, includes an acquirer 162, aspeed controller 164, and a steering controller 166. The acquirer 162acquires information of a target locus (a locus point) generated by theaction plan generator 140 and stores the target locus information in amemory (not shown). The speed controller 164 controls the runningdriving force output device 200 or the brake device 210 on the basis ofa speed element accompanying the target locus stored in the memory. Thesteering controller 166 controls the steering device 220 in accordancewith a degree of curvature of the target locus stored in the memory. Theprocesses of the speed controller 164 and the steering controller 166,for example, are implemented by a combination of feed forward controland feedback control. For example, the steering controller 166 mayexecute feed forward control according to the curvature of a road infront of the subject vehicle M and feedback control based on a deviationfrom the target locus in combination.

The running driving force output device 200 outputs a running drivingforce (torque) used for a vehicle to run to driving wheels. The runningdriving force output device 200, for example, includes a combination ofan internal combustion engine, an electric motor, a transmission, andthe like and an ECU controlling these components. The ECU controls thecomponents described above in accordance with information input from thesecond controller 160 or information input from the driving operator 80.

The brake device 210, for example, includes a brake caliper, a cylinderthat delivers hydraulic pressure to the brake caliper, an electric motorthat generates hydraulic pressure in the cylinder, and a brake ECU. Thebrake ECU performs control of the electric motor in accordance withinformation input from the second controller 160 or information inputfrom the driving operator 80 such that a brake torque according to abrake operation is output to each vehicle wheel. The brake device 210may include a mechanism delivering hydraulic pressure generated inaccordance with an operation on the brake pedal included in the drivingoperators 80 to the cylinder through a master cylinder as a backup. Thebrake device 210 is not limited to the configuration described above andmay be an electronically-controlled hydraulic brake device that delivershydraulic pressure in the master cylinder to a cylinder by controllingan actuator in accordance with information input from the secondcontroller 160.

The steering device 220, for example, includes a steering ECU and anelectric motor. The electric motor, for example, changes the directionof the steering wheel by applying a force to a rack and pinionmechanism. The steering ECU changes the direction of the steering wheelby driving an electric motor in accordance with information input fromthe second controller 160 or information input from the driving operator80.

[Process (1) Based on Advancement Direction of Traffic Participant]

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a process (1) based on an advancementdirection of traffic participants. The automated driving control device100 converts positions of a subject vehicle M and objects on an imageplane into positions on an actual plane by referring to a predeterminedconversion table and performs the following process. In this case, theautomated driving control device 100 may convert the positions of thesubject vehicle M and the objects into positions at which the subjectvehicle M is seen from the sky as shown in FIGS. 3 to 11, 13, and 14 andmay perform the process.

In a case in which an obstacle OB (a target obstacle) present in theadvancement direction of the subject vehicle M, an oncoming vehicle madvancing in a direction opposing the subject vehicle M, and trafficparticipants (a pedestrian P1 and a pedestrian P2) present near theobstacle OB are recognized by the recognizer 130, and the subjectvehicle M is caused to avoid the object vehicle OB, the action plangenerator 140 controls the subject vehicle M on the basis of advancementdirections of the traffic participants. The obstacle OB (a targetobstacle), for example, is an obstacle present closest to the subjectvehicle M in the advancement direction of the subject vehicle M. “Nearthe obstacle OB” is, for example, is within a predetermined distancefrom the obstacle OB.

The action plan generator 140, for example, controls the subject vehicleM with more importance placed on advancement directions of trafficparticipants. Here, “placing more importance” represents performing adetermination using the advancement directions of traffic participantsas a reference first, performing only a determination using theadvancement directions of traffic participants as a reference, assigninga larger weight to the advancement directions of traffic participantsthan weights for the other factors in performing processes in parallelwith each other, or the like. For example, first, the action plangenerator 140 determines a first policy relating to a behavior of thesubject vehicle M on the basis of advancement directions of trafficparticipants and next, corrects the first policy on the basis of factorsother than the advancement directions of the traffic participants. Forexample, although a first policy in which the subject vehicle M passesby an obstacle OB by following the pedestrian P1 and the pedestrian P2is set, in a case in which an oncoming vehicle m advances up to thefront of the obstacle OB, the first policy is corrected. The correctedfirst policy, for example, is a policy in which, after the pedestrian P1and the pedestrian P2 pass by the obstacle OB, and the oncoming vehiclem passes by the obstacle OB, the subject vehicle M passes by theobstacle OB.

The shown example represents a view in which the subject vehicle M runson a specific road. Here, the specific road, for example, is a road onwhich the subject vehicle M can pass by an oncoming vehicle (or abicycle or any other moving object) on the way with a predeterminedmarginal width. More specifically, the specific road is a road having aroad width (predetermined width) on which, in the case of passing by anobstacle OB, one of the subject vehicle M and an oncoming vehicle mneeds to wait in front of the obstacle OB until the other vehicle passesby the obstacle OB. In other words, in a case in which the subjectvehicle M passes along a road of which the road width is less than apredetermined width, the action plan generator 140 controls the vehicleon the basis of advancement directions of traffic participants.

An “obstacle” is an object inhibiting running of the subject vehicle Mor an object having an influence on a target locus of the subject targetM in a case in which the subject vehicle M runs on the basis of a firstreference line SL1 (first target locus) deviating to one side (forexample, the left side) of the road. More specifically, the “obstacle,”as shown in the drawing, may be a vehicle during stop or may be anobject (for example, a bicycle, an electric post, a sign board, or thelike that is placed) that needs to be avoided by a vehicle for runningor a state of a road (unevenness of the road or a state underconstruction) needs to be avoided by the vehicle for running.

An “oncoming vehicle” is a vehicle having an influence on the subjectvehicle M in a case in which the subject vehicle M runs near theobstacle OB. The “oncoming vehicle,” for example, is a vehicle presenton the advancement direction side of the subject vehicle M with respectto the obstacle OB and is a vehicle present within a predetermineddistance from the obstacle OB. The predetermined distance is a distanceset on the basis of a speed of the oncoming vehicle m and, for example,is set to be longer as the speed of the oncoming vehicle m increases.

The “first reference line SL1 (or a “second reference line SL2 (a secondtarget locus)” to be described later) is a target locus, which isgenerated by the action plan generator 140, when the subject vehicle Mruns. The subject vehicle M is controlled such that a reference positionof the subject vehicle M (for example, the center of the subject vehicleM in the horizontal direction) runs on a target locus.

The “first reference line SL1,” for example, is set to the left sidefrom the center of the width of the road. The first reference line SL1,for example, is a target locus along which the subject vehicle M runswhen it is assumed that the subject vehicle M and an oncoming vehicle mpass by each other in a state in which an obstacle OB is not present ona specific road.

“Traffic participants” are pedestrians, bicycles, and objects (forexample, moving bodies) present on a road in the vicinity of the subjectvehicle M or the obstacle OB. Vehicles may be included in the trafficparticipants. In the following description, traffic participants will bedescribed as pedestrians. A specific example of traffic participantspresent near the obstacle OB will be described later (see FIG. 9).

“Advancement directions of traffic participants” are directions in whichthe pedestrian P1 and the pedestrian P2 are moving. The recognizer 130derives a direction in which each pedestrian is moving by referring to aposition of the pedestrian for every unit time. Then, the recognizer 130recognizes the direction in which the pedestrian is moving as anadvancement direction of the pedestrian.

As shown in the drawing, in a case in which advancement directions ofall the traffic participants among the traffic participants (thepedestrian P1 and the pedestrian P2) present near the obstacle OBcoincide with a reference direction according to the advancementdirection of the subject vehicle M (details will be described later; DSin the drawing), the action plan generator 140 performs control of thevehicle to avoid the obstacle OB. Then, after the subject vehicle Mpasses by the obstacle OB by following the pedestrian P1 or the P2 atthe time of avoiding the obstacle OB, the action plan generator 140performs control of the subject vehicle M on the basis of the firstreference line.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a reference direction according to theadvancement direction of the subject vehicle M. In the example shown inFIG. 4, the obstacle OB, the pedestrian P1, the pedestrian P2, and theoncoming vehicle m are not shown. “The reference direction according tothe advancement direction of the subject vehicle M” is a directionhaving a relationship of being at an acute angle to the advancementdirection of the subject vehicle M (DS in the drawing) among extendingdirections of the road.

First, the recognizer 130 derives an extending direction DR (DR1 or DR2)of the road in which the road extends and the advancement direction DMof the subject vehicle M. The extending direction DR of a road is adirection in which the road extends and, for example, is a direction inwhich a line acquired by aligning positions of the center of the widthof the road (or the center of a road partition line or the like)extends. The recognizer 130 derives a direction (DR1) having arelationship of being at an acute angle to the advancement direction DMof the subject vehicle M out of two directions along the extendingdirection DR of the road as a reference direction DS. The recognizer 130may set the advancement direction of the subject vehicle M as “areference direction according to the advancement direction of thesubject vehicle M.”

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a process in which coincidence between areference direction DS and an advancement direction DP of a pedestrianis determined. For example, in a case in which the advancement directionDP of the pedestrian enters the inside of the range of an angle θ havingthe reference direction DS as the center, the recognizer 130 determinesthat the advancement direction of the pedestrian and the referencedirection (the reference direction according to the advancementdirection of the subject vehicle M) coincide with each other. In a casein which the advancement directions of all the traffic participants andthe reference direction according to the advancement direction of thesubject vehicle M coincide with each other, the action plan generator140 performs control of the subject vehicle M to avoid the obstacle OB.More specifically, the action plan generator 140 passes by the obstacleOB by following the pedestrian P1 and the pedestrian P2 at the time ofavoiding the obstacle OB.

As described above, by controlling the subject vehicle M on the basis ofthe advancement direction of the traffic participant, the action plangenerator 140 can appropriately control the vehicle in accordance withtraffic conditions. For example, in a case in which a pedestrian ispresent near the obstacle OB, the subject vehicle M can be appropriatelycontrolled. In addition, also when an oncoming vehicle m is present, thevehicle control M can be controlled such that the pedestrian and theoncoming vehicle m can smoothly pass by avoiding the obstacle OB.

[Process (2) Based on Advancement Direction of Traffic Participant]

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a process (2-1) based on an advancementdirection of traffic participants. FIG. 6 is a view in which it isdetermined that advancement directions of all the pedestrians P3 and P4and a reference direction do not coincide with each other. As shown inthe drawing, in a case in which the advancement directions of thepedestrian P3 and the pedestrian P4 do not coincide with a referencedirection according to the advancement direction of the subject vehicleM, the action plan generator 140 performs control of the subject vehicleM such that it stops in front of the obstacle OB. Here, the “front,” forexample, is a position at which the subject vehicle M can avoid theobstacle OB without accompanying a moving back operation after temporarystop in a case in which the subject vehicle M passes by avoiding theobstacle OB after the temporary stop. This position, for example, is aposition at which the subject vehicle can avoid the obstacle OB withoutaccompanying a moving back operation, a position acquired by adding amarginal distance to a position at which a distance between the obstacleOB and the subject vehicle M is the shortest, and a position severalmeters to several tens of meters in front of the obstacle OB. Theposition in front described above is a position at which it is assumedthat a driver stops the subject vehicle in front of the obstacle OBthrough manual driving and may be a position that is acquiredexperimentally or statistically in advance.

Then, after the pedestrian P3 and the pedestrian P4 pass by the obstacleOB, in a case in which the oncoming vehicle m advances to pass by theobstacle OB, the subject vehicle M passes by the obstacle OB after theoncoming vehicle m passes by the obstacle OB.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a process (2-2) based on advancementdirections of traffic participants. FIG. 7 is a view in which anadvancement direction of one pedestrian P5 and a reference direction aredetermined not to coincide with each other. As shown in the drawing, ina case in which the advancement direction of the pedestrian P5 does notcoincide with a reference direction according to the advancementdirection of the subject vehicle M, the action plan generator 140performs control of the subject vehicle M such that it stops in front ofthe obstacle OB. Then, after the pedestrian P5 and the pedestrian P6pass by the obstacle OB, in a case in which the oncoming vehicle madvances to pass by the obstacle OB, the subject vehicle M passes by theobstacle OB after the oncoming vehicle m passes by the obstacle OB.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a process (2-3) based on advancementdirections of traffic participants. FIG. 8 is a view in which apedestrian P8 advances in a reference direction DS, and a pedestrian P7crosses a road. In this case, it is assumed to be determined that theadvancement direction of the pedestrian P8 and the reference directionDS coincide with each other, and the advancement direction of thepedestrian P7 and the reference direction do not coincide with eachother. As shown in the drawing, in a case in which the advancementdirection of the pedestrian P7 does not coincide with the referencedirection according to the advancement direction of the subject vehicleM, the action plan generator 140 performs control of the subject vehicleM such that it stops in front of the obstacle OB. Then, after thepedestrian P7 crosses and passes by the obstacle OB, and the pedestrianP8 passes by the obstacle OB, in a case in which the oncoming vehicle madvances to pass by the obstacle OB, the subject vehicle M passes theobstacle OB after the oncoming vehicle m passes by the obstacle OB.

As described above, in a case in which advancement directions of one ormore pedestrians among traffic participants present near the obstacle OBdo not coincide with the reference direction according to theadvancement direction of the subject vehicle M, the action plangenerator 140 performs control of the vehicle such that it stops infront of the obstacle OB. In this way, in a case in which there is apedestrian coming toward the subject vehicle M side, the subject vehicleM stops in front of the obstacle OB, and accordingly, it can beinhibited to interrupt the flow of the traffic. As a result, the vehiclecan be appropriately controlled in accordance with the trafficcondition.

[Traffic Participant (1) Present Near Obstacle]

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a pedestrian (1) present near an obstacleOB. “Being present near the obstacle OB” represents being present withina first predetermined distance L1 or a first predetermined distance L1#from the obstacle OB. More specifically, in a case in which a distancebetween the subject vehicle M and the obstacle OB is within a secondpredetermined distance L2, a pedestrian present near the obstacle OB isa pedestrian (for example, a pedestrian P9) present within the firstpredetermined distance L1 or the first predetermined distance L1# fromthe obstacle OB. The second predetermined distance L2 is a distancelonger than the first predetermined distance L1 or the firstpredetermined distance L1#.

The first predetermined distance L1 is a distance defining a range of aside in front (the subject vehicle M side) from the obstacle OB. Thefirst predetermined distance L1# is a distance defining a range of aside in rear (the advancement direction side of the subject vehicle M)from the obstacle OB. The first predetermined distance L1 and the firstpredetermined distance L1# may be the same or be different from eachother. For example, the first predetermined distance L1# may be set as adistance shorter than the first predetermined distance L1.

[Traffic Participant (2) Present Near Obstacle]

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a pedestrian (2) present near an obstacleOB. In the example shown in FIG. 10, pedestrians are not shown. Trafficparticipants are traffic participants present near an obstacle OB duringa predetermined time. Here, the predetermined time is a time requiredfor completing a behavior in a case in which the behavior of returningfrom a second reference line SL2 to a first reference line SL1 ispredicted after the subject vehicle M running along the first referenceline deviating to one side of a road runs along the second referenceline SL2, then the subject vehicle M avoids an obstacle OB. Here, “thesecond reference line SL2” is a line disposed toward a side of thecenter of the road from the first reference line SL1 for avoiding theobstacle OB. The “second reference line SL2” is a target locus in a casein which the subject vehicle M runs without brought into contact withthe obstacle OB.

It is assumed that the action plan generator 140, for example, causesthe subject vehicle M to run along the first reference line SL1 at atime t+1 on the basis of surrounding traffic conditions (for example, aposition, a speed, and the like of the oncoming vehicle m) and causesthe subject vehicle M to run on the basis of the second reference lineSL2 for avoiding the obstacle OB at a time t+2. In addition, it isassumed that the action plan generator 140 causes the subject vehicle Mto run on the basis of the first reference line SL1 instead of thesecond reference line at a time t+3 after passing by the obstacle OB.

In this way, the action plan generator 140 generates a plan when thesubject vehicle M passes by the obstacle OB and derives a required time(the time t+1 to t+3) until the subject vehicle M passes by the obstacleOB.

The recognizer 130 determines whether or not a pedestrian is presentwithin a predetermined range having the obstacle OB as its center in therequired time on the basis of positions of pedestrians in the vicinityof the obstacle OB and walking speeds derived on the basis of positionhistories of the pedestrians. For example, as shown in FIG. 11, in acase in which it is determined that a pedestrian is present within therange of the first predetermined distance L1 or the first predetermineddistance L1# from the obstacle OB in the required time, the action plangenerator 140, for example, performs control of the subject vehicle Msuch that it stops in front of the obstacle OB.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing positions of a pedestrian in a requiredtime. A pedestrian P10 is present within the range of the firstpredetermined distance L1# from the obstacle OB between a time t+1 and atime t+2 (during the required time) and thus is a pedestrian presentnear the obstacle OB. A pedestrian P11 is not present within the rangeof the first predetermined distance L1 and the first predetermineddistance L1# from the obstacle OB between a time t+1 and a time t+3(during the required time) and thus is a pedestrian not present near theobstacle OB.

As described above, the automated driving control device 100 canappropriately take a pedestrian having an influence when the subjectvehicle M runs into account. As a result, the automated driving controldevice 100 can appropriately perform control of the vehicle inaccordance with traffic conditions while reducing the processing load.

[Flowchart]

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing one example of the flow of a processexecuted by the automated driving control device 100. For example, theprocess of this flowchart is started in a case in which a distancebetween the subject vehicle M and an obstacle OB becomes within apredetermined distance (a third predetermined distance). The thirdpredetermined distance is greater than the first predetermined distanceL1, the first predetermined distance L1#, and the second predetermineddistance L2.

First, the action plan generator 140 determines whether or not anobstacle present in the advancement direction of the subject vehicle Mhas been recognized by the recognizer 130 (Step S100). In a case inwhich an obstacle has been recognized, the action plan generator 140determines whether or not an oncoming vehicle has been recognized by therecognizer 130 (Step S102). In a case in which the oncoming vehicle hasbeen recognized, the action plan generator 140 determines whether or nota traffic participant present near the obstacle has been recognized bythe recognizer 130 (Step S104). In a case in which an obstacle has notbeen recognized in Step S100, in a case in which an oncoming vehicle hasnot been recognized in Step S102, or in a case in which a trafficparticipant has not been recognized in Step S104, the process of oneroutine of this flowchart ends.

In a case in which a traffic participant has been recognized, the actionplan generator 140 determines whether or not the traffic participantsatisfies a predetermined condition (Step S106). Here, the“predetermined condition” is coincidence of advancement directions ofall the pedestrians present near the obstacle OB with a referencedirection according to an advancement direction of the subject vehicle.

In a case in which the predetermined condition has been satisfied, theaction plan generator 140 performs control of the subject vehicle M toavoid the obstacle by following the traffic participants (Step S108). Onthe other hand, in a case in which the predetermined condition has notbeen satisfied, the action plan generator 140 waits for passage of thetraffic participants and the oncoming vehicle and performs control suchthat the subject vehicle M passes by the obstacle after the trafficparticipants and the oncoming vehicle pass by the obstacle (Step S110).In this way, the process of one routine of this flowchart ends.

As described above, in a case in which an obstacle, an oncoming vehicle,and a traffic participant present near the obstacle are recognized, andthe subject vehicle M is caused to avoid the obstacle, the action plangenerator 140 cam appropriately control the vehicle in accordance withtraffic conditions by controlling the subject vehicle M on the basis ofthe advancement directions of pedestrians.

Another Example 1

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing another example 1. In the other examples(for example, FIG. 3 and the like), although the oncoming vehicle m hasbeen described as being present, in this example, a stopped vehicle m(P)is assumed to be present instead of the oncoming vehicle m. The stoppedvehicle m(P) is a vehicle that is stopped on the side of the advancementdirection of the subject vehicle M and on the right side with respect tothe obstacle OB when seen from the subject vehicle M. The stoppedvehicle m(P) is another example of an “oncoming vehicle.” Also in such aview, the action plan generator 140 controls the subject vehicle M onthe basis of the advancement directions of the traffic participants andthus can appropriately control the vehicle in accordance with thetraffic conditions.

Another Example 2

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing another example 2. Although an obstacle OBhas been described as being present on the left side of the road inother examples (for example, FIG. 3 and the like), in this example, asobstacle OB# is assumed to be present on the right side of a road. Alsoin such a view, the action plan generator 140 controls the subjectvehicle M on the basis of advancement directions of trafficparticipants.

In this view, in a case in which advancement directions of one or morepedestrians do not coincide with a reference direction according to theadvancement direction of the subject vehicle M, the vehicle iscontrolled to stop in front of the obstacle OB#, and, after all thepedestrians pass by the obstacle OB#, in a case in which an oncomingvehicle or the like showing an intention to pass by the obstacle OB# isnot present, the subject vehicle M passes by the obstacle OB#. Anoncoming vehicle showing an intention to pass by the obstacle OB# is avehicle approaching the obstacle OB, a vehicle moving along a locuspassing by the obstacle OB#, or the like.

As described above, the action plan generator 140 controls the subjectvehicle M on the basis of advancement directions of traffic participantsregardless of a position at which an obstacle OB is present and thus canappropriately control the vehicle in accordance with traffic conditions.

In the examples described above, although the process in a view in whichan oncoming vehicle is present has been described, also in a view inwhich no oncoming vehicle is present, the subject vehicle M may becontrolled on the basis of the advancement directions of trafficparticipants.

According to the embodiment described above, the recognizer 130recognizing a surroundings status of a subject vehicle M and the actionplan generator controlling at least the steering of the subject vehicleM on the basis of the surroundings status recognized by the recognizer130 are included, and, in a case in which an obstacle present in theadvancement direction of the subject vehicle M and traffic participantspresent near the obstacle are recognized by the recognizer 130, and thesubject vehicle M is caused to avoid the obstacle, the action plangenerator 140 controls the subject vehicle M on the basis of theadvancement directions of the traffic participants, whereby the vehiclecan be appropriately controlled in accordance with the trafficconditions.

[Hardware Configuration]

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing one example of the hardware configurationof an automated driving control device 100 according to an embodiment.As shown in the drawing, the automated driving control device 100 has aconfiguration in which a communication controller 100-1, a CPU 100-2, arandom access memory (RAM) 100-3 used as a working memory, a read onlymemory (ROM) 100-4 storing a boot program and the like, a storage device100-5 such as a flash memory or an hard disk drive (HDD), a drive device100-6, and the like are interconnected through an internal bus or adedicated communication line. The communication controller 100-1communicates with constituent elements other than the automated drivingcontrol device 100. A program 100-5 a executed by the CPU 100-2 isstored in the storage device 100-5. This program is expanded into theRAM 100-3 by a direct memory access (DMA) controller (not shown in thedrawing) or the like and is executed by the CPU 100-2. In this way, someor all of the recognizer 130, the action plan generator 140, and thesecond controller 160 are realized.

The embodiment described above can be represented as below.

A vehicle control device including a storage device storing a programand a hardware processor and configured such that the hardwareprocessor, by executing the program stored in the storage device,recognizes a surroundings status of a vehicle and controls at least thesteering of the vehicle on the basis of the recognized surroundingsstatus, and, in a case in which an obstacle present in an advancementdirection of the vehicle and traffic participants present near theobstacle are recognized through the recognition of the surroundingsstatus, and the vehicle is caused to avoid the obstacle, controls thevehicle on the basis of the advancement directions of the trafficparticipants.

While preferred embodiments of the invention have been described andillustrated above, it should be understood that these are exemplary ofthe invention and are not to be considered as limiting. Additions,omissions, substitutions, and other modifications can be made withoutdeparting from the spirit or scope of the present invention.Accordingly, the invention is not to be considered as being limited bythe foregoing description, and is only limited by the scope of theappended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A vehicle control system comprising: a recognizerthat is configured to recognize a surroundings status of a vehicle; anda driving controller that is configured to control at least steering ofthe vehicle on the basis of the surroundings status recognized by therecognizer, wherein, in a case in which a target obstacle present in anadvancement direction of the vehicle and one or more trafficparticipants present near the target obstacle are recognized by therecognizer, and the vehicle is caused to avoid the target obstacle, thedriving controller is configured to control the vehicle on the basis ofadvancement directions of the one or more traffic participants.
 2. Thevehicle control system according to claim 1, wherein, in a case in whichthe advancement directions of all the traffic participants among the oneor more traffic participants present near the target obstacle coincidewith a reference direction according to an advancement direction of thevehicle, the driving controller is configured to perform control of thevehicle to avoid the target obstacle.
 3. The vehicle control systemaccording to claim 2, wherein the driving controller is configured tocause the one or more traffic participants to follow the vehicle whenthe vehicle is caused to avoid the target obstacle.
 4. The vehiclecontrol system according to claim 1, wherein, in a case in which anadvancement direction of one or more traffic participants among the oneor more traffic participants present near the target obstacle recognizedby the recognizer does not coincide with a reference direction accordingto an advancement direction of the vehicle, the driving controller isconfigured to perform control of the vehicle such that it stops in frontof the target obstacle.
 5. The vehicle control system according to claim2, wherein the reference direction is a direction having a relationshipof being at an acute angle to the advancement direction of the vehicleout of extending directions of a road.
 6. The vehicle control systemaccording to claim 1, wherein the one or more traffic participantspresent near the target obstacle are pedestrians.
 7. The vehicle controlsystem according to claim 1, wherein the one or more trafficparticipants present near the target obstacle are one or more trafficparticipants present within a first predetermined distance from thetarget obstacle.
 8. The vehicle control system according to claim 1,wherein, in a case in which a distance between the vehicle and thetarget obstacle is within a second predetermined distance, the one ormore traffic participants present near the target obstacle are one ormore traffic participants present within a first predetermined distance,which is shorter than the second predetermined distance, from the targetobstacle.
 9. The vehicle control system according to claim 1, wherein,in a case in which a required time until the vehicle running along afirst target locus deviating to one side of the road runs along a secondtarget locus disposed on a side of the center of the road from the firsttarget locus for avoiding the target obstacle and returns from thesecond target locus to the first target locus after the vehicle avoidsthe target obstacle is assumed, the one or more traffic participantspresent near the target obstacle object are one or more trafficparticipants present within a predetermined range having the targetobstacle as its center during the required time.
 10. The vehicle controlsystem according to claim 1, wherein the target obstacle is an objecthaving an influence on a target locus of the vehicle in a case in whichthe vehicle runs.
 11. The vehicle control system according to claim 1,wherein, in a case in which a distance to the target obstacle becomeswithin a third predetermined distance, the driving controller isconfigured to start a process of controlling the vehicle on the basis ofthe advancement directions of the one or more traffic participants. 12.The vehicle control system according to claim 1, wherein the drivingcontroller is configured to control the vehicle on the basis of theadvancement directions of the one or more traffic participants in thecase of passing through a road of which a road width is less than apredetermined width.
 13. A vehicle control method using a computer, thevehicle control method comprising: recognizing a surroundings status ofa vehicle; controlling at least steering of the vehicle on the basis ofthe recognized surroundings status; and controlling the vehicle on thebasis of advancement directions of one or more traffic participants in acase in which a target obstacle present in an advancement direction ofthe vehicle and the one or more traffic participants present near thetarget obstacle are recognized through the recognition of thesurroundings status, and the vehicle is caused to avoid the targetobstacle.
 14. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium thatstores a computer program to be executed by a computer to perform atleast: recognize a surroundings status of a vehicle; control at leaststeering of the vehicle on the basis of the recognized surroundingsstatus; and control the vehicle on the basis of advancement directionsof one or more traffic participants in a case in which a target obstaclepresent in an advancement direction of the vehicle and the one or moretraffic participants present near the target obstacle are recognizedthrough the recognition of the surroundings status, and the vehicle iscaused to avoid the target obstacle.